US RN wanting to move to Canada

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 19, 2006

You're correct that Alberta doesn't YET require a BScN to enter practice. (Neither does Manitoba.) Speaking for my own worksite, I can tell you that NO EXPERIENCE is necessary to be hired even in the ICUs. (We're constantly orienting new grads to work in our PICU.) All they want is the appropriate licensure. You'll need to write the Canadian nursing exam and obtain registration from the College and Association of Registered Nurses of ALblerta (CARNA) to work. If you go to the CARNA website, http:http://www.nurses.ab.ca/ and follow the links you'll be able to find out all you need to know. Good luck!

mudiwa · Mar 19, 2006

Thanx janfrjn, you are always there to help. I`ve read several of your posts you always give useful info. I will contact the exam board of Alberta. Hope it will work out good. For those that read this thread and still have more info you are welcome to post it, i needs lots of it!

NephroBSN, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2006

You're correct that Alberta doesn't YET require a BScN to enter practice. (Neither does Manitoba.) Speaking for my own worksite, I can tell you that NO EXPERIENCE is necessary to be hired even in the ICUs. (We're constantly orienting new grads to work in our PICU.) All they want is the appropriate licensure. You'll need to write the Canadian nursing exam and obtain registration from the College and Association of Registered Nurses of ALblerta (CARNA) to work. If you go to the CARNA website, http:www.nurses.ab.ca/ and follow the links you'll be able to find out all you need to know. Good luck!

Does everyone have to write the Canadian Nursing Exam or just those without a BSN?

Thanks for your info.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 19, 2006

Everyone is required to write and pass the Canadian exam. They have recently changed the format and instead of hundreds of multiple choice questions, there are now some short- and long-answer questions too. This change created total chaos the first year (2004) because the method of grading these questions hadn't been well-defined and it took about three times as long for the results to be announced. We had grad nurses who had written in June still needing a resource (to push meds, give neuromuscular blockers and cytotoxics, obtain samples form EVDs and a host of other responsibilities) well into October.

When I worked in Manitoba, the province recruited a bunch of nurses from the Phillipines to fill the huge holes we had in staffing. All these nurses had to pass the exam before they could practice, we were told, then we found out that they'd looked the other way for a number of women who then rewrote two more times before they passed. I'm afraid that I deplore such behaviour... a standard is a standard and should not be ignored for expedience.

When I wrote the CNATS, as it was called back then (1994) There were four exams in all, written over two days in the ballroom of a local hotel, composed of 800 multiple choice questions. Many of them were multiple multiples, and the pass mark was 500. When your results were mailed to you, you knew what your score was, much like the NCLEX results. A few years later they changed it to two exams written on one day, with about 500 questions, and it became Pass/Fail. Now I'm not sure how results are reported.

Here's a tip... there are many questions with therapeutic communication bases. "Mrs. Smith, you seem upset. Would you like to talk with me about what is happening?" and stuff. All the best luck to you!

hugeviper · Mar 20, 2006

I wont advise you to apply for registration in Alberta unless you have the financial capacity. What I mean is, as a non Canadian nurse, they will still ask you to complete a competence assessment (another fee) that could last for a week (travel and accomodation) another expenses. Apart from paying the registration fee, these are the things you have to consider funding. I recently applied in Alberta and my verifications were completed only to be held unless I complete this competence assessment. I live and work in the UK so completing this requirement could be very difficult for me.

I advise that you apply to another jurisdiction like BC, or Toronto if you dont want to waste your time and money.

chevswife · Mar 22, 2006

Hi. I am a nurse here in Australia, looking to move to alberta as my husbands family are all there. I gave birth to my son in canada but as an aussie I am wondering what I need to do to be able to nurse in Alberta. I think my qualifications here as an endorsed enrolled nurse, is very similar to yours as an LPN. I can do most drugs but not all. who should I contact before coming to canada and does anyone know how hard it will be to get work. most of my past experience is with the elderly, dementia and mental health but I wish to work in acute within a hospital setting. thanks

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 22, 2006

chevswife, all the information you need can be obtained through the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta at http://www.clpna.com/ ... I'd suggest having a look at that first, then contact them for clarification and any other guidance you might need. Just in case you were curious... we just had the biggest snowfall of the year, over a foot in 36 hours!! It's not cold, just below freezing, but it is white.

satinsilver888 · Mar 25, 2006

Hi Janfrn,

I read your posts and found them very informative, I am an RN here in CA however, I would like to relcate to Canada, hopefully Manitoba because my friend told me that it is easier to migrate (the process), do you know if I still have to take the exam there? and can you give me an idea of how much is the staring salary for RN's?

Thanks

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 25, 2006

For salary information check out : http://www.nursesunion.mb.ca/salaries.htm

For registration information: http://www.crnm.mb.ca/reg.php

You will need to provide letters from your previous employers outlining your years of experience, the nature of your work and your hours of work in order to be placed above the starting rate on the salary scale. You may be eligible for some relocation assistance. There are a lot of nurses from the Philippines who have chosen Manitoba and there's a very active Filipino community in the Garden City area of Winnipeg. Good luck!

Jan

gchelak · Mar 27, 2006

I wont advise you to apply for registration in Alberta unless you have the financial capacity. What I mean is, as a non Canadian nurse, they will still ask you to complete a competence assessment (another fee) that could last for a week (travel and accomodation) another expenses. Apart from paying the registration fee, these are the things you have to consider funding. I recently applied in Alberta and my verifications were completed only to be held unless I complete this competence assessment. I live and work in the UK so completing this requirement could be very difficult for me.
I advise that you apply to another jurisdiction like BC, or Toronto if you dont want to waste your time and money.

Ah, there is someone else out there seeing the problems with appyling for an Alberta license.

I am a failrly new Associate degree RN in Texas and am moving to Alberta in July where I am from originally (no medical eduction from Canada).

I have contacted the CARNA for registration. What a nightmare. I was sent the papers for my school, Board of Nurse Examiners for Texas and myself to fill out. I sent my $200+ for them to look over my references and was told by a couple of people there that I did not need the work reference YET since I had not completed my 225 hours of work as an RN required for my employer to fill out the reference. I was told not having this would NOT hold up my other papers from being evaluated. All of my other papers were sent by the appropriate parties.

I was then told (e-mail) by 2 other people at the CARNA that I WOULD have to have the work reference for them to even look at my references. I sent an e-mail to everyone who was telling me different things, and the registrar (one of the people I had been talking to) was a little preturbed and said that I was confused because they were trying to accomodate me and bend the rules. I told them in a nice way that if I had not received conflicting e-mails, I would not have been confused.

I then had my work reference sent because it was causing so many problems. I did not want ot do this yet as it would alert my employer as to my intentions before I was ready.

The registrar had also indicated that it was "quite possible" that I would have to do a "Substantively Equivalent Competence assessment".

What the hell is this now? QUITE possible??

By the sounds of it, I am thinking that pretty much EVERYONE that is internationally educated has to complete this Substantively Equivalent Competence assessment before they give you access to the CRNE...am I right?? This is terrible. I was planning on taking the CRNE in Aug, right after I move up there.

I am an RN here...I am practicing as such, but in a nursery- not an adult floor. I am a little worried about what this is and what it consists of and what the Alberta Dilploma'd nurses learn that I did not...

I guess I am jumping the gun here a bit, but I have a bad feeling that this is the norm going into Alberta, especially for a recent grad/RN educated internatioanlly.

Can anyone elaborate on this or have any experience going from the US to Alberta recently?

Much appreciated.

Gail

I am also posting this under it's own heading in this forum...

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 27, 2006

Gail, I'm sorry you're having such a rough time getting a straight answer from the good folks ( :uhoh3: ) at CARNA. Trust me when I tell you that even if you were coming from somwhere else in Canada, you'd run into trouble. I came here three and a half years ago from Manitoba. It cost me a pile of cash, and all they really did for me was "verify" my credentials with CRNM, who incidentally also received their pound of flesh for sharing my information. One thing that caught my eye in your post is the timing of your move. I would strongly advise that you wait to register in Alberta until October. Licensure here runs October 1 to September 30. I started my orientation at the University Hospital on September 9, and therefore paid $265 to practice for three weeks.

Another nurse from Manitoba was in my orientation group. She had trouble getting her verification from Manitoba and finally resorted (at my insistance) to contacting the president of CRNM at the time, someone who happened to be a friend of mine. Amazingly :eek: she had her documentation the next day. Without it she coudn't register here and that meant that she couldn't get started with her bedside orientation. Wha a racket!! I think we should go with a national registration scheme and then everyone is equal and portable.

I don't know about the Substantively Equivalent Competence thing, but I know several nurses at work that I can ask. I'll do that and get back to you.